Networking

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I can just hear you now.

“Woooo, Lindsay. Have you left the legal market altogether? Storytelling? Audiences? I know you’ve talked about this before, but this isn’t ENGLISH class for pete’s sake. It’s THE LAW.”

Yes, you’re right, it IS the law, but storytelling remains essential, even when you’re solving legal issues. You may remember this post about the panel I spoke on in December. I am lucky enough to be reprising this session with another moderator and my co-panelists at the LMA’s Annual Conference in Hollywood, Florida, next month, and we’ve been really delving into this idea of why storytelling is so important.Continue Reading How to Harness the Power of Storytelling to Influence your Audience

Have you ever heard the saying “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results?”

Well, the counter-argument could be made that to get new results, you need to build new habits. It has been said that you need 21 days of doing something to make it a habit – so if you start now, by the end of October, you’ll have some new habits built into your routine!

What do I mean by that?
Continue Reading Build New Habits to Get New Results

It’s almost the final quarter of the year and everyone I know has been swamped with work – which means you’re probably not thinking too much about where your next matter or case is coming from. We all know that’s the PERFECT time to be thinking about networking and business development!

Sorry, folks, I know it’s the last thing on your mind.

But, consider these four tips to shake things up and see what falls out of your networking tree – apologies, it’s fall and I can’t resist a good metaphor.
Continue Reading Lawyers: Shake up Your Networking with these Four Tips

Raise your hand if you hate the word “authenticity.”

It’s right up there with some of the other most hated buzzwords and phrases – “at the end of the day,” “thinking outside of the box,” “synergy,” “value add,” “circle back,” “bandwidth.”

Are you cringing yet?

But even though the word “authenticity” might make your skin crawl, it’s actually a pretty important concept – it’s a buzzword for a reason. And actually, I don’t hate it, but I know a lot of people who do! 

One of the most often shared tips for networking is that being authentic is key – whether you’re networking in person or virtually.
Continue Reading Authenticity: It’s a Buzzword, but Also the Key to Successful Networking

Since 2019, I have had the pleasure of being involved in the Empowered Women’s Event series as a committee member, with our organization as an in-kind sponsor. The event focuses on storytelling and according to event founder and host, Susan Freeman,

Stories have a transformative power to allow us to see the world in a different way than we do if we just encounter it on our own. Stories are an entry point to understanding a different experience of the world. Storytelling, presenting a different perspective of the world, is important when it comes to connecting with each other. It gives us an opportunity to learn from another person’s experience and it can shape, strengthen, or challenge our opinions and values. When a story catches our attention and engages us, we are more likely to absorb the message and meaning within it than if the same message was presented simply in facts and figures. When someone tells their own personal story, we catch a glimpse of a view of the world that may be slightly or radically different from our own. When we see the world as they see it, or walk in their shoes, the experience can inspire empathy.”

Continue Reading Why Attend an Event Solely for Women?

The short answer? Both!

After two-plus years of being limited to almost entirely virtual meetings, we’ve learned that there are huge benefits to doing things online. But many people were also chomping at the bit to get back to seeing each other in the flesh. So that begs the question – which is better? It turns out that we need both and for different reasons. So while you may be tempted to toss your ring light forever in favor of jumping back onto planes…not so fast. Let’s look at the pros of both types of meetings and see why you need to keep them all in your diary.
Continue Reading The Battle of the Meetings: Virtual vs. In-Person – Which is Better?

When networking, it’s easy to focus on the event itself and forget that one of the most important parts of the process is the follow-up. Networking, and relationship building, aren’t a one and done – they’re a process. And that process takes careful tending.

But the good news is that with a few simple steps, you can make that follow-up part of your post-event routine so that following up becomes as natural as brushing your teeth…well, almost.
Continue Reading Networking: Don’t Forget to Follow Up!

There have been many jokes and memes about how we have all forgotten the most basic of social skills after being locked down for two years.

But in all seriousness, it sometimes feels like when you don’t flex a certain “muscle,” you forget how to use it. In some ways, the last two years have really dragged on, but in others, they’ve flown by. So it can come as a surprise when you’re getting excited to return to that first in-person event only to realize that you may feel a little rusty.
Continue Reading Help! I’ve Forgotten How to Network!

What better way to celebrate International Networking Week with a throwback to a post I wrote about international networking (updated for these modern times)?

With virtual platforms bringing us even closer together these days, the ability for us to connect with counterparts from across borders is easier than ever. But that means we can’t forget that everyone doesn’t do business in the same way that we do. That’s incredibly fun because it means we get to learn about other people and cultures, but there can also be a few pitfalls. Entrepreneur shared this great article back in 2014 on the keys to success for navigating networking internationally and I added a fifth suggestion based on my own experience – these five tips hold true today.
Continue Reading 5 Ways to Be Intentional About Your International Networking

Everyone is dealing with “zoom fatigue” these days, so it’s that much more irritating when you do make the time to hop on a virtual business development or networking session only to have it turn into a flop. I’m sure you’d rather have been billing or spending the time with your family or doing literally anything else, right?

Let’s instead look at some of the things that may go wrong and what you can do about them – I’m not talking about the famous “you’re on mute!” (I think we all know how to handle that by now) or other technical issues that crop up, but rather the true networking negatives.
Continue Reading Dealing with Networking Negatives in the Virtual Age